Flash recommendations please

[tillsbury]

Just bought an A7R (with the 35mm lens), and also moved from LR4 to Aperture for my library.

While I'm waiting for them to release a decent wide-angle FE mount lens, does anyone have recommendations for a suitable flash unit? Would like it to work for everything except portrait work (which I hardly ever do). I mostly photograph interiors and also very close-up macro work (and landscapes, but don't need a flash for that!)

 

[compuwar]

Sony is the worst for flash compatibility with generic flashes, you're likely more limited to Sony flashes, and as I understand it, the A7R has a different shoe than even the other non-compatible Sony units, so you have to use the included adapter to use older Sony/Minolta compatible flashes. If you don't want/need TTL, then I think you can use generic flashes, but I'd check somewhere Sony-specific for details. I think you're also stuck with 1/160th as a sync speed, so keep that in mind for non-compatible flashes.

Paul
(This is based on what The Google knows, I don't own a Sony camera.)

 

[Edge100]

LumoPro LP160. Highly recommended if you don't need TTL flash.

 

[ChrisA]

... I mostly photograph interiors and also very close-up macro work (and landscapes, but don't need a flash for that!)

This are VERY different subjects. For macro work you can get the light very close to the subject so you don't need much power. Even a small light lets you shoot at low ISO. For macros I've gone away from flash to continuos LED lighting. The advantage of continuous light is that you can see it and use it to focus with and you know where every shadow will fall before you trip the shutter.

For $100 you can buy two small LED type lights. One is a ring light with something like 100 LEDS and the other is a small rectangular light with about 150 LEDS. I also use a few large CFL daylight balanced bulls in clamp lights with a scrim or "light tent" Macro is easy

Interiors are very different in that SO MUCH MORE light is required. One good option is an optical slave. Use then to trip larger strobes

 

[MCAsan]

Suggest asking on a dedicated photo site, ideally one for Sony shooters.

 

[blueroom]

Sony appears to have settled on a flash standard on their new Alpha cameras. The Sony HVL-F43M is a good choice.

 

[tillsbury]

Will try the options given, thanks everyone. Yes, I have a ring light consisting of LEDs (and the appropriate conversion ring so it will fit), this was a bit feeble and too blue, but when I took it apart there was room for more LEDs so I doubled up by soldering warm white LEDs in all the spaces. This is pretty good for very close-up work but there's no such thing as too much light, so I also would like to bounce flash as much more as I can get.